With the continuing energy crisis throughout the world, there is a continuing need for new processes for fuel generation. One point of continuing focus for research has been the separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen by decomposition. It is known that such decomposition can occur by electrolysis, by superheating water to the point of molecular disassociation (about 2800.degree. C.) and the like. The trouble with such processes, is that by and large, they all have involved extremely costly energy consumption during the water decomposition step. This, of course, makes them economically unfeasible because of the net energy consumption versus the amount of recovered hydrogen and oxygen.
There is therefore a continuing need, and a real demand, for a process which will provide hydrogen and oxygen as replaceable non-fossil fuels. Moreover, there is a continuing need for such a process which is economical and can be run without high electrical energy costs, nuclear energy costs, or thermal energy costs.
It is a primary object of the present invention to fulfill the obvious demand for a fuel source from readily available water, which can be made without high energy costs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for molecular disassociation of water into its component parts of hydrogen and oxygen which relies exclusively on readily available solar energy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a solar energy process for decomposition of water which is efficient and economical, primarily because of the use of certain selected decomposition catalyst components which allow the use of solar energy in an efficient manner to accomplish the end result.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a process as mentioned in the preceding object, which involves separation of solar energy into its primary thermal energy component (infrared light) and its primary ultraviolet energy component, with the thermal energy component (infrared), being concentrated and used to superheat steam, which is thereafter subjected to photolysis by concentrated ultraviolet light, in the presence of certain water decomposition catalysts.
The method of accomplishing each of these objectives, as well as others, will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention which will follow hereinafter.